The days when he dominated the Tour are well behind him but the belief remains that he can win a 21st grand slam title
![Roger Federer bows to injury and Djokovic but the fire to win still burns | Simon Cambers](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fb0b734c77f2adb08334af2abfa6ae9f1ce6a476/0_74_2498_1499/master/2498.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=b21f48dd9979aec04b12969c85f27c2a)
Time is the enemy of all sportsmen and women, and as
Roger Federer exited the
Australian Open on Thursday night the thought must have crossed his mind that this might just have been his last visit to a tournament he first played in 2000 and first won four years later.
Champions, though, have short memories when it comes to losses and his 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 semi-final defeat by
Novak Djokovic is unlikely to linger, especially since his niggling groin injury meant he knew his chances of victory were somewhere between slim and none.